JIM Troughton will instruct his Warwickshire team to keep their eye firmly on the immediate term when they face Worcestershire today.

Troughton’s side are almost within touching distance of the County Championship title. They will be champions for sure if they win at New Road this week and nearest challengers Sussex do not beat Somerset at Hove.

With the weather mercifully set fair, for once in this rainswept season, a round of four-day games appears likely to be allowed to unfold properly and unfettered.

That will give Sussex scope to record a win to keep the pressure on Warwickshire. But it also means the Bears have a chance to lodge the victory which, even if Sussex also win, will leave them needing only a smattering of bonus points in next week’s final game against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

As always at this stage of the season there are plenty of permutations, which now include possible double silverware for Warwickshire after their CB40 semi-final triumph over Lancashire last weekend.

Which makes it all the more important, Troughton insists, that his team is not distracted by them and instead just concentrates on beating a Worcestershire side in desperate need of a victory to preserve their chance of avoiding relegation.

“There is talk of silverware now and a possible double but we haven’t won anything yet,” the captain said. “It is a big run-in for us. We know we are going to Lord’s now and that is a fantastic feeling for the guys to have. But a big game starts next for us down at Worcester.

“Worcestershire are in a position where they need to win. They could be dangerous so we won’t go there with any illusions that we are going to walk over them and it will be ‘happy days’.

“We enjoyed the moment at Old Trafford on Saturday. It is always fantastic to win a semi-final because they are all-or-nothing games. But that’s gone now, we have a very important match at Worcester and our job now is to perform well on that first day at New Road.”

* JEETAN Patel could return to Warwickshire’s team during the game against Worcestershire starting today even though he finished playing for New Zealand in Bangalore only yesterday.

When Patel was called up by the Kiwis for their two-Test tour of India he told the Bears he would do all he could to get back for the match at New Road. The spinner is standing by that pledge and, having performed creditably on his recall to international cricket, is aiming to be back involved in Warwickshire’s title chase this week.

The Bears have been looking into the logistics of whether Patel can return in time to play a useful part in the match.